Mail-bag holder



(No Model.)

H. RBSSLER.

MAIL BAG HOLDER.

Patented Aug. 27,1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

.CARTHON H. RESSLER, OF IIAGERSTOVVN, INDIANA.

MAILsBAG HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,308, dated August 2'?, 1895. Application tiled August 23, 1894:. i Serial No. 521,073. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OAR'rnoN H. REssLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hagerstown, in the county of Wayne and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MaiLBag Holders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the iigures of reference marked the1eon,which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements on the common mail-crane now in use; and it consists in a mail-sack holder embodying certain novel and valuable features which can be readily attached to the upper and lower arms of the common mail-cranes and which operates automatically with great certainty and edectiveness.

My invention will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which the same numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a common mail-crane provided with my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective View, on an enlarged scale, of one of the holders. Fig. 3 is a side view of the same, showing the tilter inthe position it occupies as the sack is taken from it by the catcher on the mail-car. Fig. a shows the parts of the device separated.

The present method generally followed in fastening mail-sacks to the crane-arms is to tie the end rings of the sack or pouch to rods on the arms of the crane. When the catcherarm of the rapidly-moving mail-car strikes which are bolted the straight and angled se curing-irons 2 3, which are readily bolted, as shown, to the outer ends of the crane-arms, thus securing the devices in operative position. Upon this round shaft is mounted the cylindrical body 4 ofthe tilter, as I will call it for convenience of reference, and a coilspring 5 surrounds the outer end of t-he shaft l, between the outer end of the cylindrical body 4 and a collar or nut 6, which is secured in position either by threading it and the extremity of the shaft and screwing it in position or else by a pin7 as 7. The tilter is held in position by the pressure of this spring between the spring and a stop-pin S, which extends transversely through the shaft and against which the inner end of the tilter rests at the point 9. From the point 9 the tubular inner end ofthe tilter body is cut away to form the V-shaped openings l lO on both its upper and lower sides, for the purpose hereinafter explained. At its outer end the tilter is formed with the oppositelyentending projections or wings ll ll, which are grooved at their outer ends to form seats for the rings of the mail-sack.

In operation the mail-sack 'is hung by its end rings on the grooved projections pointing in the direction which the train is moving. When the mail-sack thus hanging is taken by the catcher of the rapidly-moving mailcar the tilters slide ou the shafts l with a combined longitudinal and rotary motion against the pressure of the coiled springs 5, the catcher-arm striking the middle of the mail-bag, jerking its upper end downward and outward from the crane, while its lower end is jerked upward and outward, the tilters sliding outward against the pressure of their springs, and at the same time the inclined sides of their V-shaped openings 10 sliding against the fixed guide-pin 8 from the points 9 to l2 causes them to turn on the shaft with a rotary motion, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the supporting-projection il ot' the upper tilter on which the ring of the sack is hung, thus moving outward and downward, while the corresponding projection of the lower tilter moves outward and upward, thus enabling the rings of the mail-sack to slip oit easily in the direction of the moving train without injury to the rings, straps, orsack ends. As soon as the sack is taken off the coil-springs 5 automatically readjust the tilters in position with their projections 1l extending in a horizontal plane by pressing the inclined sloping sides of the openings 10 against the guide-pin 8. The outer ends of the V-shaped openings lO are formed straight at lO to form stops which limit the rotary motion of the tilter.

It will be seen from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, that my invention, While simple in construction, being devoid of all useless and complicated parts, is exceedingly effective in its operation. It securely holds the mail-sacks for trains running in both directions and releases them in such a manner as to entirely prevent all strain and injury to the end rings, straps, and the ends of the sacks, thereby effecting a great saving for repairs.

The device, as described, automatically adjusts itself after the mail-sack is taken from it.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcnt, is-

1. A mail bag holder comprising a rounded shaft attached to acrane arm and a mail bag supporting device having a tubular body mounted thereon to turn with a combined longitudinal and rotary motion as the mail bag is taken from it, substantially as set forth.

2. A mailbag holder comprising a shaft attached to a crane arm, a rotating and sliding mail bag supporting device mounted on the shaft, and means for automatically returning said device to its normal position after the mail bag has been removed, substantially as set forth.

3. The mail bag holder consisting of the round shaft having the transverse guide pin, a tubular body mounted on said shaft and having inclined bearing faces at its inner end engaging With said pin, and oppositely extending projections at its outer end, and a coiled spring secured on the outer end of the shaft to bear against said tubular body, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

4. The herein-described mail bag holder consisting of the round shaft having the transverse guide pin, and the bearing nut or collar at its outer end, the tiiter consisting of the tubular body having the inclined bearing faces at its inner end and the oppositely extending grooved projections at its outer end` andthe coiled spring mounted on the shaft between the outer end of the tubular tilterbody and the xed bearinguiut; substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CAR'IIION ll. RESSLER. lVitnesses:

ELI KEITH, ARCH HINDMAN. 

